Katy Trail Rock Island Spur CommentsKaty Trail travel journal

in June of 2012, my husband and I rode the Katy Trail with our daughter, who was not quite two at the time. I wrote a really long travel journal, with lots of pictures.

The short version: It was a lot of fun, and I'd recommend to any cycling inclined family with a toddler.

The places tagged in this post are mentioned, and usually photographed, in the entry below.

http://katytrailnaptime.wordpress.com/day-two/

posted Jan 26 2013 9:18AM
- Jessica

Wow, what a beautiful and awesome journal. LOVED it! Thank you very much for posting it. What a great thing to take your daughter and what a nice leisurely pace to it. I rode with all my children in bike seats and have fond memories of it, though alas we never thought to bring them on such an epic ride.

One day I will edit my journal from last June and post it. My wife and I did Clinton to Jeff City and want to do the whole thing this year.

Thanks again for your great journal!

posted Jan 27 2013 7:37PM
- Haank, New Haven, MO

I really enjoyed your ride journal. Although we don't have small children, I can relate to the pace that you took to enjoy your surroundings as you went. It will be interesting to see another journal in a few years with three bikes instead of two. Or maybe a tandem and a half bike.

You are fortunate to live in Columbia with the spur and the Katy so close. We've started/ended several rides at Flat Branch.

As you keep riding, there are many wonderful trails that make for nice weekend or minivacation trips. Crazyguyonabike dot com is a good place to search the journals for other rail trails such as The Racoon River Valley and the High Tressel Trail near Des Moines Iowa, The Root River Trail in southeastern Minnesota, The Mickelson in South Dakota, etc.

Thanks for sharing your ride with us.

posted Jan 28 2013 7:59AM
- Trek

Just loved your pics. We too did the Katy at the same time. By the timeline at Sedalia you were just a day behind us. I'm sure that was a special time for your family.

posted Jan 28 2013 8:25AM
- Anonymous

Really cool pics. Love to see families enjoy the trail like you guys did.

posted Jan 28 2013 1:56PM
- Billy, Mokane

Thanks for all the nice comments, and for the pointer to crazyguyonabike.com. We do indeed want to try another big ride when Penny's old enough to move her own pedals. :)

What fun to read your Katy Trail travel journal. The pictures are fabulous! Please come by and see us again at Rocheport Bike and BBQ. We'll be opening around March 1, depending on the weather.

posted Feb 10 2013 6:10PM
- Anonymous

Your journal/story of your trip was really quite interesting and could be an inspiration to other parents wanting to spend some quality time with their children! Penny is a very lucky young lady to have you as parents!!

posted Mar 10 2013 5:09PM
- Ktytrfan, Palmyra, Mo.

I just stumbled on your journal looking up some information about the Globe Hotel. It is absolutely wonderful, and inspiring. Penny is a lucky (and cute!) little girl. When our kids were just a bit older, we started a tradition of family rides every Memorial Day weekend, doing the whole trail, and some train rides, over several years. It was so fun to see that you were at many of the same places. Just today, my daughter, now 18, and getting ready to head off for college, said, as we were doing a lunch ride from Columbia to Rocheport, "Mom, we really should do one of those family Katy Trail rides again!" Your journal certainly made me want to! Thanks for sharing!